The Governor

The Hon. Governor of the Province is Tikiri Banda Kobbekaduwa Whose roots are from a rural background in the Central Province and is a devout Buddhist. Born on the 19th of December 1955 is the son of Mr. Ashley Rickman Vimaladaham Banda Kobbekaduwa of Deldeniya, Yatinuwara and Mrs. Chandrawathie Giragama Kobbekaduwa of Palapathwela, Matale. He is married to Sujampathika Panamaldeniya (a house wife) and has two children. a son (Kanishka Pandukabhaya) and a daughter (Vishwapali Chandrika) who are yet pursuing their education in the University of Sri Lanka.
Educated at Trinity College, Kandy and later at St. Sylvesters College, Kandy was a dynamic sportsman with distinction in Cricket and Rugby. Subsequent to the Advanced Level examination he embarked on a career in Accountancy and Marketing. He holds a Diploma in Marketing and is the only Sri Lankan Trainer on Human Resource Development from the prestigious American institute "Achieve Global". Commencing his career in Marketing as a field Salesman at M/s Unilever, Sri Lanka he climbed up the ladder to end up as one of its Marketing Managers and thereafter as Marketing and Sales Director of another Multi National M/s. Reckitt Benkizer, Sri Lanka. His wealth of experience has been extended with stints in Marketing, Financial and Human Resource Developrnent Management and Consultancy to many Sri Lankan organizations thereafter.
 

Governor Kobbekaduwa embarked on public and social service in the year 1979 when he obtained membership of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party from the Deldeniya, Menikdiwela branch in the Yatinuwara Electorate under the tutelage of late Hector Kobbekaduwa a former Minister and the first Presidential Candidate in Sri Lankan politics. Thereafter in 1992 former Prime Minister late Sirimavo R.D. Bandaranaike appointed him as the Kandy District Organizer. In 1997, at the Local Government elections for the Kandy Municipal Council he was elected as a council member. During the span of 5 years as a council member he utilized the monthly allowance towards a scholarship fund to educate 58 children of low income families in the Kandy District.
     
 
   
 
In the year 2003 he was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the leading News paper Publishers in the Country "Associated News Papers of Ceylon Limited" (Lake House)' During this period he was also appointed as the media Advisor to Her Excellency the President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumarathunge. Thereafter in 2004 he was appointed as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Small Holdings Development Authority and Tea Shakthi Fund. Through out this period he continued with the scholarship fund to support children from low income families in their education
     

On the, 19th of December, 2005 His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapakse appointed Kobbekaduwa as the Governor of Central Province. Thereby he became the youngest Governor to be appointed since the inception of the Provincial Government statute in 1983.